AROUND 80,000 people are expected to attend today’s gig at Slane Castle, where Kings of Leon are headlining and Thin Lizzy, Elbow and White Lies are among the support acts.

Slane organisers have said that the car parks open at noon, but the concert gates won’t open til 1pm. The first support act, The Whigs, are due on stage at 1.30pm. The last support act is Elbow, due on at 6.30pm.

AA Roadwatch has posted travel advice on its site for anyone heading to the gig. Updates will be continually posted throughout the day, but the main points to bear in mind when setting out are:

• Slane village is closed to through traffic from 7am until about 2am on Sunday morning – diversions will be in place
• Carparks open at noon and are located on the N51 Navan Road, N51 Drogheda Road, R163 Kells-Slane Road, N2 Dublin-Monaghan Road. Allow a 20-30 minute walk to the venue from there
• Buses from the M50 will be diverted onto the N2, while cars will be diverted onto the M1. Cars travelling from the south on the M1 will be diverted off at J10 Drogheda North; buses should take J9 Drogheda to reach Slane via Donore
• Cars and buses travelling from the north on N1 will divert off at J12 Dunleer and travel through Collon to Slane on the N2
• Motorists are advised to avoid travelling through Drogheda town, while cars from Kells should take either the Kells-Slane Road via Kilberry or the N3 to Navan, then the N51

Public transport

• Bus Éireann is operating services from Dublin city (Customs House Quay) to Slane between noon and 6pm. Return services from Slane to Dublin city will begin leaving Slane after the gig at about 1am. Cost: €25 return
• Bus Éireann is also operating a Drogheda to Slane service, leaving Drogheda bus station between noon and 6pm. The return services will begin leaving Slane at 10pm and stop at 2am Sunday morning. Cost: €5 each way
• Kelly Travel will be running buses from Limerick, Tipperary and Cork to Slane, however, according to their website booking has closed for these services
• Dublin Bus services to Slane will leave from Parnell Square in the city centre every 20 minutes from noon until 5pm. Cost: Buying a ticket on the day costs €25 (it costs €20 if you book ahead)

Confirming late last year that the Kings of Leon would headline the gig, Slane Castle owner Lord Henry Mountcharles said he has been following the band for two years and was pleased someone “special” was playing the venue for its 30th anniversary (and his 60th birthday):

The event’s organisers confirmed earlier that the band would continue with their plans to play the gig despite the recent death of their uncle.

Read: Kings of Leon Slane gig to go ahead, despite death of their beloved uncle >